War Hawking

If the absolutely massive buildup of arms in the Middle East didn’t convince you of the real possibility of a US attack on Iran, this headline might. U.S. tells embassy staff in Israel to leave now if they want amid Trump threats to attack Iran. It seems Marco Rubio didn’t send that memo, or like it very much. Marco Rubio orders US officials to stop commentary that could strain Iran talks. (Of course, even though Rubio is Secretary of State and Acting National Security Advisor, he’s not the one actually negotiating with Iran. That gig was given, again, to Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.)

+ “As they made their public case this week for another American military campaign against Iran, President Trump and his aides asserted that Iran has restarted its nuclear program, has enough available nuclear material to build a bomb within days, and is developing long-range missiles that will soon be capable of hitting the United States. All three of these claims are either false or unproven.” NYT (Gift Article): In Trump’s Case for War, a Series of False or Unproven Claims. (False and unproven claims are the bread and butter of this administration. Why would war be different?)

+ And, as if things weren’t complicated enough … Pakistan Strikes Afghanistan in ‘Open War’ Against Taliban Government.